Follow us on Twitter: @CapitalTonight and Facebook: facebook.com/CapitalTonightNY We'll have the latest details on the budget agreement. Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell explains the call for a ban on state travel to Indiana. And our insiders are in to go over the details, the delays and the drama.

Schroeder: I Won’t Support Silver (Updated)

Make that minus one vote for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver when the Democrats convene for a leadership vote in January.

Maverick Buffalo Democratic Assemblyman Mark Schroeder announced in a press release that he hand delivered a letter to Silver’s office Monday to inform the Manhattan lawmaker he can’t count on Schroeder’s vote unless he attends a public forum on issues facing Western New York.

“In a disastrous, scandal ridden year for state government, it has become obvious that Upstate New York has no voice in the Capitol,” said Schroeder.

“When another late budget was finalized without UB2020 and SUNY Empowerment, it became abundantly clear that those of us who live north of New York City have no say in how we are governed, and have no power to save our struggling cities.”

“It is impossible for me to support Silver for another term as speaker if the needs and priorities of my constituents, and millions of New Yorkers across Upstate, continue to be ignored. This is an opportunity for the speaker to demonstrate that he is genuinely serious about addressing the issues that are plaguing Upstate New York.”

Among the issues Schroeder wants to discuss are: UB2020 and SUNY Empowerment, transportation funding for Upstate roads and bridges, inequities in Medicaid reimbursement rate for nursing homes, and abusive sales tax audits of small business, among others.

The assemblyman said his constituents are “sick and tired of being treated like second-class citizens,” adding: “The speaker needs to show them that he’s committed to fixing the problems facing our region. It is time for the speaker to either step up, or step aside.”

A few points worth noting here.

First: Buffalo is the hometown of failed GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, and WNY in general is ground zero, if you will, for all that pent-up anger at Albany that helped the businessman win the GOP primary and carry 12 upstate counties in the general election.

Second: It’s a safe bet that lingering anger over the failure of UB2020 – over which soon-to-be-former Sen. Bill Stachowski held up the budget this past summer – contributed to Stachowski’s loss and also to the cliffhanger contest in which Sen. Antoine Thompson now finds himself.

Third: Schroeder has a long history of verbal bomb throwing, and the speaker is one of his frequent targets. He doesn’t have enough power for anyone in the conference to take him very seriously in this instance.

However, since this is coming on the heels of the Post report about anonymous anti-Silver/pro-Cuomo plotters and the governor-elect’s rather lukewarm statements in Puerto Rico about wanting to work with the Assembly “leadership,” you’ve got to say this:

Schroeder’s got a canny sense of political timing.

UPDATE: In a CapTon interview that will air this evening, Schroeder reminded me that he did not vote for Silver when he first arrived in the Assembly back in 2005. He had vowed not to support Silver unless he promised – in writing – to help enact an on-time budget.

Please be advised that from this day forward you will need to supply your own pens and paper for your office. And by the way, your new office assignment has been changed to down the hall. It’s the door next to the one marked “Women.” Disregard all the extra plumbing fixtures there. You can use any of them to express any further messages that you want to send to me.

Regards-
Shelly

cp retiree

I like Schroeder’s ghost writer.

Really?!

Assuming that the Republican conference is roughly 50 members and the Democrats’ roughly 100, if Silver gets the 51 votes within his conference and wins his parties nod for Speaker, what are the odds that 26 Democrats who voted against Silver in conference will join 50 republicans on the floor of the assembly and vote for someone other than Silver for Speaker? Maybe a more moderate Democrat from Up-state or Long Island? I mean whatever you think of Paladino, there is no denying that Silver is a criminal, he is single handedly holding the entire state hostage so he can please a few special interest groups in Manhattan, he’s been in there for 16 years, thats longer that some of the worlds worst dictators. We must have turnover in New York politics, or else we end up where we are now.

Chinwan

Upstate NY has no voice in the capital….I’m sorry, did someone say something?

Wasn’t Schroeder the piano player in the Peanuts cartoon?

Chinwan

Upstate NY has no voice in the capital….I’m sorry, did someone say something?

Wasn’t Schroeder the piano player in the Peanuts cartoon?

IronMike

Contrast that with the 38 years fossils like Padavan (yes, I know he finally lost) and Farley have been in the Senate—that would make it more than twice as long as some of the world’s worst dictators. Shelly is no better and no worse than the power hungry egomaniacs in the other party. At least be consistent.

http://twitter.com/ShellySilver Fake Sheldon Silver

Imposter.

Really?!

I thin it’s great that Padavan lost. As a NYC Republican I can say that a senate majority that relies on people like Padavan is not worth holding onto. I hope Dems can say the same thing about Silver

carpet bagger

I’ll say it in a heartbeat. An Assembly majority that relies on people like Silver is not worth holding on to.
And Iron Mike, I think Silver is worse, because he’s smart and cunning. Most of the power hungry ego maniacs in Albany are a little not too smart.

NY DREAMER

Up state should be sold to Canada for the next subway line or to pay for the rail tunnel to NJ.

Roger Murdock

Silver needs 76 votes. He goes to the floor with 51 Democratic votes, he is no longer Speaker.

That’s like saying the Senate Dems can elect a leader in a 31-31 tie with 16 votes. Uhhh…. No.

Interesting thoughts though. remember Mike Bragman, post coup? His new office was on the 3rd floor — the Democratic office nearest the exit. Not very subtle, but the head on the fence spike should serve as a reminder to all….

IronMike

and this serves the people of the State how????

Roger Murdock

IM – Do you begin with the assumption that choosing legislative leadership has something to do with serving the people of the State?

You are far from naive, so I’m guessing your question was rhetorical….

http://www.goddesssophiawalker.com/wordpress/ Sophia Walker

Wait, there’s an Assemblyman Schroeder? Who knew?

Buffy

Please, as a WNYer we would love nothing less than succession. Give us our NIagara River and we’ll call it a dayl.